Category Archives: writing

The Romance Reviews have done it again–another fabulous party! Here’s the link for all those interested TRR Year End Splash.

I am giving away a copy of A SHOT IN THE DARK for this party. This is the story of school teacher Faith Williams and Detective Thomas Everhart. The Blurb is posted below. I hope everyone hops over to TRR party. It’s so worth it!! Enjoy all.

Blurb:

High school teacher Faith Williams finds herself running for her life after she walks in on a group of hooded, masked thugs that have just shot three students. She runs straight into the arms of Detective Thomas Everhart, the man she’s been dating for almost nine months.

Tommy Everhart will do whatever it takes to keep Faith safe. He’ll risk his job and his life in the process. But will she ever come to care about him the same way he cares for her? Will either of them live long enough to find out?

Hey everyone! Romance Reviews is hosting their annual Sizzling Summer Reads party next month, and this year, I’m having an ebook giveaway for NO SMOKE WITHOUT A FIRE, the first book in The Cougar Club series.

If you’ve never attended this event, please do! There’s lots of games, prizes, and fun to be had. I always love the Romance Reviews parties, and hope to see you there. 🙂

If you haven’t checked out my Cougar Club series, please do. Three of the four books are available for your enjoyment, and hopefully the fourth will be soon. If you love sassy ladies, you’ll love my Physical Therapist Danielle Reece in HOUSE CALLS. Or if hot firemen are more your thing, fall in love with Jackson Stanton in NO SMOKE WITHOUT A FIRE.

Whatever romance you enjoy, don’t forget to check out The Romance Reviews party in JUNE!!

Hey, hey! My new Paranormal Romance is now available on Kindle and Paperback! It will be available on NOOK next week! Woot! I’m super excited about this one. I hope you all will be too. Here it is: IN HER DREAMS.

Warning: This book is only for mature audiences. It’s super sexy/steamy, as well as a little spooky. Enjoy!!

Blurb: Anna Blake buys her first house after her grandmother dies, leaving her a sizable inheritance. Soon after, while making renovations to her new home, unexplained things begin to happen. She sees things in her mirrors that aren’t there. Objects fall or move on their own. The feeling of being watched. But nothing compares to the sexy dreams that haunt her every sleeping moment.

She hires her old high school beau, Dylan Cook, to help finish her renovations. He too, senses something’s not quite right with her house. He also knows something about the house’s history, which is unsettling to say the least. Dylan’s concern for Anna mounts as he notices she’s not acting like herself or sleeping well. He begs her to come stay with him to see if the house is affecting her. She accepts his invitation only to come back to a ransacked home and a message . . . GET RID OF HIM, OR I WILL.

One of the most daunting tasks an author will ever face is writing the query letter for their novels. Personally, I hate them. They rank somewhere between ripping off my fingernails and walking on broken glass in my “how much do I like doing this” category. I’ve learned over the years that by following a few rules, the process is a lot less stressful. Here’s what I’ve learned. Feel free to add your own rules in the comments section.

1. Keep it simple. Don’t try to be too cutsie with your query. Keep it short, sweet, simple, and to the point.

2. Write in the present tense. Most agents/publishers prefer present tense in queries. Hedge your bets and write in the present.

3. Visit Query Shark website and READ, STUDY, AND LEARN. This is beyond a doubt the best site there is for helping with a query.

4. Who is your protagonist? What do they want? What’s stopping them from achieving their goals? What are their ultimate consequences? This step is the most important when writing your query. If you can’t answer these questions, it’s not the query that’s the problem, it’s the story.

5. Don’t name a bunch of characters. Try to name no more than two characters in your query. One is preferred, two is okay, three is stretching it, four or more…NO, NO, NO!

6. Open the query with a great hook! You have one shot to catch an agent’s/ publisher’s attention. Don’t kill that shot with a weak or non-existent hook.

7. Don’t ever (and I mean ever) open a query with a rhetorical question. What if…? Would you…? How long…? Agents tend to HATE rhetorical questions. Don’t blow your one chance by opening with one.

9. Don’t put your book’s title, genre, word count, etc. in the first paragraph unless specifically requested by an agent. Most agent’s want this stuff at the end. Keep it in the last paragraph along with your writing creds. if you have any.

10. NEVER EVER address the query to an agent or publisher with Dear Agent. Use their name. How would you like it if they answered you with Dear Writer, Your query stinks. Sincerely, Dear Agent?

11. Do your research! Find out which agents/publishers are accepting queries in your book’s genre, then find out which specifically want stories like yours. Also, read the agent’s bio. Learn who you are querying!

12. Check for spelling, grammar or other errors. This is your query letter! For pete’s sake check the damned thing before you send it to agents.

That’s about it. If you think of anything I’ve forgotten, feel free to add.

Are you still searching for a great read this summer? Have you checked out BTS emags newest edition? If you’re looking for some great romantic reads, check it out here. They have reviews, interviews, and books, books, books!!